Flower Mound voters approve longer council terms

Flower Mound residents on Tuesday approved six out of eight amendments to the Town Charter, one of which increased the number of years that a council member serves.

The passage of Proposition 1 will increase council member’s terms from two to three years, and allows for two additional terms if a council member becomes mayor, potentially calming the tumultuous politics and expanding the number of people who will run for council.

Proposition 1 passed with 82.4 percent of the vote (22,484 votes).

“I am pleased that the residents recognized the benefits of Prop 1, allowing newly elected council members time to learn their new role before having to think about reelection,” said Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Bryan Webb. “It also places experienced council members on equal footing with anyone else who considers running for mayor.”

There will still be elections each year, but only for two positions instead of three. The new longer terms will be phased-in over the next four years.

“I think it provides more stability and continuity for the longer term direction for our town,” said Mayor Tom Hayden. “I’m also hopeful it will allow our council members a greater opportunity to focus on the job they were elected to and less time thinking about the next election.”

Other propositions that passed:

Prop 2: A housekeeping item that will remove language inconsistent with state law and allows a Town employee to announce his/her candidacy for public office without forfeiting his employment with the Town. Only if elected, will he or she forfeit employment with the Town.

Prop 3: Establishes a process for handling Charter violations by elected officials to include procedures to determine whether a sitting council member has forfeited his/her office and determines whether a sitting council member should be removed from office.

Prop 5: Establishes a process for removal of the municipal judge.

Prop 6: Requires five percent of registered voters for initiative and referendum petitions. For a recall petition, 50 percent +1 of the number of the total votes cast for that council member and all of his/her opponents in the last contested general municipal election in which he/she was a candidate.

Prop 7: Allows the Town to rename the Parks, Arts, and Library Services Board to the Park Board, with the Cultural Arts Commission continuing to handle library and arts items.

Propositions 4 and 8 did not pass.

Proposition 4 would have removed the requirement that all ordinances adopted by the Town be published except those required to be published by law. This would have saved tax dollars by not requiring the Town to purchase classified ads in newspapers for ordinances that are not required by law to be published.

Proposition 8 would have removed the requirement that the Town budget be filed with various county and state agencies and allow the transfer of funds between departments without a budget amendment. It basically would have removed Charter provisions inconsistent with state law, and would have changed the language to reflect the actual process followed by the Town.